Vol. 544 No. 4
137 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the reason conditions under licence from his Department for the removal of silt from Galway Harbour were apparently not complied with; if he will amend legis lation in order to allow an appeal by those concerned by such licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29210/01]
The permit to which the Deputy refers was issued by my Department to Galway Harbour Company for the disposal of 63,800 tonnes of dredged material arising from maintenance dredging of the approach channel to Galway docks, the tidal basin and the lay-by of Galway Harbour. I confirm that Galway Harbour Company met the essential conditions attached to the permit in question, namely, no dredging of material from the starboard side of the commercial dock area and use of the specified site for disposal of dredged material. There were some minor variations in compliance with other conditions which were necessitated by bad weather, tidal conditions, engineering constraints or in the interests of safety. These variations did not have adverse environmental consequences.
Permits for disposal of dredged material at sea are issued only after an extensive consultation process involving the public and relevant Government agencies, such as Dúchas and the Departments of Public Enterprise, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and the Environment and Local Government. The Department also consults the marine licence vetting committee, MLVC, an independent panel of experts. No permits are granted unless the MLVC is satisfied that the material is safe to be dredged, that there are no reuse options for the material and that the proposed dump site is suitable. Given the arrangements for public consultation and expert evaluation of proposals, including examination of submissions or observations in relation thereto, a provision for appeals does not seem to be warranted. My Department promptly investigates any complaint about permitted operations which is brought to its attention.
